Our History
The West York Borough Police Department was formed in April of 1917 by unanimous motion of the Borough Council and Chief Burgess, with the intent and stated mission to “Patrol the streets of the Borough regularly.” That solitary Patrolman, John Altland, was issued a black jack, a badge, and a gun, and sent to work on evenings and weekends at a rate of 20¢ per hour.
Over the next century, the WYBPD expanded as the Borough grew, maintaining 24-hour coverage with a full-time staff of five (5) sworn officers (Chief, Detective Sergeant, Corporal, & 2 Patrolman) through the early 1980’s when a 3rd patrolman was added at a starting salary of $13,500 annually. The department served as a model borough police force however eventually fell behind as the law enforcement industry progressed and population exploded, leaving an understaffed agency that was not progressing, and coupled with societal issues & local political turmoil, had become distant and isolated from the resident population. This forced an unconventional approach to stability and peacekeeping that served as the foundation for change.
Our 2017 Centennial Anniversary has proven to be a year of transition and growth, with our agency reassessing and gauging the tactics, techniques and procedures that are needed to ensure that we continue to patrol the streets of the Borough regularly for the next 100 years.
Most of our efforts have been geared towards ensuring that we, as the ones the residents turn to for help are:
- Adequately able to provide protection.
- Postured to be community guardians.
- Welcomed by people into their homes & community.
We know that our influence is directly proportional to sum of these three elements, as they equal credibility, rapport, and a continued belief in the value of the relationship. Ultimately we achieved this through the following formula, which is based loosely on the US SOF Village Stability Operations “Shape” Phase employed in the Pashtun Tribal areas of Afghanistan:
Problem Analysis + Community Guardianship + “Game Changer” Methodology = Stabilization
Our ultimate goal was the creation of a resistance, an underground within the community that can be looked to as a force multiplier and supportive of our vision. The enemy is crime, blight, and dereliction within the neighborhoods. As we moved forward towards this goal, we remained ever cognizant of the following three (3) ground truths:
- The solution is in the problem- We need to figure out why someone would rather live next door to a drug dealer than to call the police and tell us he’s living there.
- We can’t shoot or arrest our way to victory.
- We, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police are the only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the intent of the community welfare (Peel, 1829).
Core Values
Integrity
Integrity can be hard to define, as it goes beyond just being honest. We are honest, we are transparent; but, know that we are the ones who will make the just decision, even when no one is looking; we will always do the right thing…Integrity is driven by our moral character, which defines us.
Compassion
We will be there to help people through…Even by simply holding a hand or telling someone it will be ok, we recognize that our interactions with the public are often during hard times, we don’t want to see people hurting.
Service
The service of other human beings and the community. To be the answer to the call for help and never let our public down…We will sacrifice on our own behalf to remain dedicated and committed to the interests of West York.
Security
To be the port in the storm, the ones that instill a sense of strength and safety in those that are scared or feel victimized. We bring calm to chaos and focus on making things safer while acting quickly to suppress crime. We are crusaders for the weak, innocent, and diverse; while towards evil, we are wrath.
Adaptability
Our environment constantly changes, calling for us to adjust to a wide variety of circumstances and rapidly evolving situations. We welcome these challenges as we are critical thinkers & problem solvers, and will overcome whatever comes our way to ensure the Public’s safe; Always!
Fairness
We will be firm yet courteous, and we will always be fair. We will resist bias & prejudice, and not allow emotion to influence our decision making…we will treat all as we would want to be treated, while always basing our actions on the interests of law and justice.
Kindness
We are a critical component of a stable community, and we are friendly and approachable. We will talk with you, joke with you, and will always remember that a smile is contagious. Come talk to us!
Respect
We treat everyone with respect, whether they deserve it or not…We know that although someone may not look like us or act like us, they are someone’s mother, someone’s son, someone’s friend…Someone loves them & they deserve our respect.
Employee Development
Our environment constantly changes, calling for us to adjust to a wide variety of circumstances and rapidly evolving situations. We welcome these challenges as we are critical thinkers & problem solvers, and will overcome whatever comes our way to ensure the Public’s safe; Always!